Rectangle Clasp

Today's bead is an interesting clasp that I found at FireMountain Gems about a year ago.

I thought the shiny sterling plating was so bright and pretty, I bought 10 of them!

The package detail reads, "fndg clasp sp curve rect 5strd 17x8". These add a nice finished look to a jewelry piece.

I have used it in a bracelet and think it would be fun to use one of these in a multistrand wire wrapping piece.

It would also be great in a hematite and black crystal bracelet...Yeah, that sounds perfect!

I hope you are having a nice week so far!! :)

Peace, Love & Bead Bloggers!

It's time to take a look at what some of the other bead bloggers have been up to over the past week, yay! I enjoy broadening my horizons and this is a great way to do that!

When I first began blogging, I was intimidated by all of the experienced beaders, crafters and professional jewelry designers who had also turned into very successful bloggers.

I didn't like that feeling at all, but as soon as I "got to know" some of the individuals who share their craft along with their beliefs, emotions, successes and not-as-successful experiences, I started to see how giving and non-competitive everyone is. It was one of the happiest surprises I can remember! It gives me great joy to have become a part of the online crafting/beading community and can feel the love from here...I hope you can too! :)

I wanted to share a bead today that I found in my stash over the weekend. I'd never even taken it out of the package and don't know where it came from. It is a Westrim product, described as "charm prayer box square silver". The sticker shows it was on clearance for $1.50.

I just opened the package and think it is adorable! The little box actually opens and closes! I believe these are used to place a written prayer or affirmation in to remind you about it and keep it close by so you can focus on it. I am going to work on a new affirmation to place in this one and use a few crystals and a lobster clasp to clip it to my keys or work ID badge.

I hope you all had a great weekend! Please join me in a horizon-expanding experience by visiting the blogs below. :)

The writing and art of Andrew thornton Beadfest Philadelphia was packed with talented artisans and bead-makers. See what Andrew picked out!

Jewelry & Beading Looking ahead to the fall, Cyndi shows how to make a new necklace called "Autumn Arbor".

Katie's Beading Blog Katie's mixing metals and a fun peyote bail with a giant crystal disk.

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio Lorelei is hosting a Necklace Round Robin, but you have to leave a comment to be entered to win a spot!

Earthenwood Studio Chronices Melanie shows off some fun experiments that she has seen coming out of her studio, mixing copper and pewter

Art Bead Scene Art Bead Scene expands the editorial staff and welcomes Lorelei Eurto!

Cindy Gimbrone aka The Lampwork Diva Cindy unveils a new series of Art Nouveau inspired beads. In French it's known as "Stile Floreal" and in English it's the "Floral Style."

Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi uses shrink plastic to make a neat little bracelet.

About.com Jewelry Making Do you use blogging to promote your jewelry business? Tammy has some thoughts for you on this.

Thank You!!

Hello! I have been meaning to send special thanks to everyone who stops by frequently and leaves information, tips, ideas and encouragement, so today seemed like a good opportunity to do that! If I have left anyone out, I apologize!!!

I am sincerely appreciative to have met all of you and so glad our paths have crossed! I've learned quite a bit about the creative process in general from craft and bead bloggers. This type of communication allows you to see inside someone else's head if they let you. We are all so much more alike than we are different!

So, thanks very much to all of you for helping me to see that! I hope you are all having a great weekend!! THANK YOU!!


Kokopelli Design

Beadphoria

Almost Precious

Wire My Soul

Dawno's Beaded Badge Lanyards

The Beading Gem's Journal

TesoriTrovati

Just a Tish

Green Meadow Lane

Nancy at Never Enough Time

Sassy Glass Designs

Azure Islands Designs

Little Glory

Cindy Lietz, Polymer Clay Tutor

Featured Designer: Adribeads of Budapest

What a happy day! It's featured designer Friday!! :)

I've been waiting all week to share these pieces with you. I thought these were clever and extra cool because they are made using a bottlecap as a base.

When I visited the Adribeads etsy site I was intrigued by the color combinations, technique and materials used to turn used bottlecaps into earrings.

The designer of these cool pieces is Adrienn of Budapest.

Adrienn also has a blog where she shares her designs and thoughts behind them.

Make sure you check out her seed bead peace sign earrings too! Another clever design!

Thanks for sharing Adrienn! Have a great weekend!!

Arts & Crafts Jewelry

Several years ago I bought about 6 packages of these wooden bracelets from a local discount grocery store. They came in packages of 3 for $1 and I had plenty of ideas for them.

I also thought it would be fun to play with at our quarterly craft night events as sort of an extra craft or free-for-all.

Well, in all honesty, I have only made one project that was a success. It was for a family member and painted in school colors with the initials of the school. Very simple, but fun for sporting events.

I started on another bracelet during a craft night by decopauging halloween images from decorative napkins. It was a cool idea in theory, but...

These are very cool looking bracelets just as they are and maybe I need to get one of those crystal setting tools to add a little sparkle. What do you think?

Curly-Q Sterling Tubes

Have you ever seen such adorable tubes? I found these at a one-day bead show that was passing through town.

There was a section with all the usual tubes and sterling spacers, but when I saw these my hand immediately started reaching for them!

Was it because of their macaroni-ness or the unique, playful effect? I try to always trust that instinct and figure it out later.

I just love these little curls, but have not perfected an appropriate use for them yet. I've tried a number of different materials and have found that nylon coated beading wire might be the best way to go.

I'm envisioning these being used on a multistrand piece with LOTS of silver rounds and clear crystals.

I wish I had it made already so I could see what it looks like AND wear it tomorrow!! I'd love to hear some ideas and if anyone has used these or know of a project using these, PLEASE share!

Have a great evening! :)

Swirly 5 Strand Spacer

Wow, 5 strands!! What was I thinking? I am sure I probably had a plan for using these spacers, but I cannot for the life of me remember what it was!! :)

I like to design weekend jewelry projects that are quick and simple, but also unique.

I don't usually tackle more than a few strands for a fun, weekend project. Don't get me wrong, I have greatly enjoyed jewelry pieces that take several days to complete and still love to design them. It gives you a great sense of accomplishment and usually makes a huge impact.

Gee, you sure would think I would remember what I had in mind!! I'm thinking this kind of forgetfulness occurred at the same time I had to start holding things at arm's length to read...

On the flip side, it's like discovering a new treasure!! Now I get to come up with a new idea!

So, just off the top of my head, I'm thinking it might be interesting to use these two spacers as a left and right sides of a focal piece for a bracelet. Possibly knotting on some hemp cord or beading wire. Beading wire would be fun to use for some criss cross patterns in crystals in between the spacers. Hmm, that does sound like fun!

I just had a vision of those pot holders you make as a kid that involve criss crossing loops of fabric over prongs on a square frame. STRING ART!

I'd love to hear your ideas for this too! Have a good one!!

A "Few" Fun Flowers!

In my neck of the woods, flower gardens are at their peak growth right now. In some gardens, flowers that might have been tightly planted to have an immediate affect, almost seem overgrown.

I was just looking through a bag of beads that had a couple of flowers in it and once I poured them all out, I had a great time sorting out this collection for today's post. I also see that there are a few pieces that I put together but didn't end up using.

I have seen some wonderful uses for flower beads like this and would like to make something QUICK and easy, but also something with IMPACT!

Any ideas??

Peace, Love & Bead Bloggers!

It's Sunday and that means it's time to check in with our fellow beaders to see what they have been up to over the last week.

I also have a quick little crystal ring project to show you too! I hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Please join me in taking a trip through the blogs below!

About.com Jewelry Making Check out my beautifully organized list of mixed-media book reviews and find the perfect book to help you mix up your jewelry making.

Art Bead Scene Art Bead Scene gets green findings at the local re-use store.

Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi has a short demo on how she came up with a contest entry.

Cindy Gimbrone aka The Lampwork Diva What do bronze and rawhide have in common? Cindy explains how she uses both in her studio.

Earthenwood Studio Chronices Melanie contemplates taking risks, making changes, and creative experimentation to prevent art burnout.

Jean Campbell Jean's whipped up a free vintage button brooch project for you to try.

Jewelry & Beading Cyndi wants to know, what's the best thing you've made so far this summer?

Katie's Beading Blog Katie's project is a free, featured download on Beading Daily. Yay!

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio Take a peek into Lorelei's studio and see some cool bead storage solutions!

Strands of Beads Melissa reveals her Use the Muse II Entry, "Briar Rose"

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton Come join the fun in Philadelphia this weekend at Beadfest! Stop by the Green Girl Studios booth to say hello to Andrew and check out all the great new things available!!!

Strand of Beads from Big Lots!

I just love Saturdays!! Mainly for the sense of FREEDOM!! I do tend to gravitate toward structure and routine during the week just so I can click on auto-pilot sometimes in order to multi-task. When the weekend rolls around, it's a completely different vibe!

Even if I have places to be and things to do, it's usually things I WANT to do and things that I consider to be fun!

Tonight is craft night, yay!! We're making cigar box purses which involves mod podge, :)

I have a serious thing for mod podge. Ultimately I usually end up making a mess with all my fingers covered in glue, but that's what makes it fun for me!

I have a shrinky dink jewelry craft that I am teaching. It is a little bit unplanned, but that's what I think makes it fun for the others. They will not just be copying my design, but creating their own. I'm sure it will be lots of fun!

I will post the weekly project tomorrow so tonight I wanted to show you this strand of beads I found at Big Lots today! It's pretty cute and was $2.

Have a great, fun, crafty night!!

Featured Designer: Melissa Lee of "Strands"

Yay! It's Friday and time for the Featured Designer showcase.

I was very taken with these necklaces designed by Melissa Lee of the "Strands" blog which are made using softflex beading wire.

The colors are exciting and bright and the designs are unique and special. What a wonderful combination that equals FUN!!

Her work was showcased on the Softflex site recently and it's easy to see why!!

Well, It's going to be a crafty weekend for me, how about you?! Have a good one!

Slider with Round AB Crystal

Today's bead is called "metal slider bead - round crystal ab". I believe this package either came from Joann Etc. or Pat Kattan's crafts store.

I hope I'm not the only one who can't keep their entire "inventory" in their head! It could have something to do with the fact that all my beads don't make it into a nice and tidy container.

There are SO MANY uses for these 2 hole beads! I am a huge fan of memory wire and black rubber tubing, so I could see that happen using all 10 of the sliders in one piece.

From a more conservative perspective, I could also see a very simple 2 strand necklace using these and some nice black or tanzanite crystals in between the sliders.

Ooh, how about this.... a long dangle made with 2 strands as a pendant on a choker using at least 5 or 6 of the sliders coming down in a nicely structured dangle like buttons??!

I wish I could show you what I am seeing in my head, but sadly, that technology is not yet available! Have a great evening!

Love & Joy & Peace & Faith

Today's beads came in a package of 4 "Inspiration Sliders" by the Darice Company.

These shiny curved sliders are approximately 1 3/4" in length and perfect as a focal piece in a bracelet.

I found them over the weekend at Joann, Etc. Needless to say, they were not on my list!!

I used one last night to make a bracelet for a coworker which is when I realized they are made for two strands of wire. I used sky blue rubber tubing on both memory wire strands and several blue toned 6mm bicones.

The blues against the bright shiny silver were the perfect contrast!! I still have Love, Joy and Peace to use for other gifts and can't wait to get started on them.

Hope you are having a great week!! :)

Chain Linkies

Today's post showcases the last of the cool Jill MacKay pieces I recently found in the online catalog at ConsumerCrafts.com. I haven't even looked through all the art and craft supplies yet, I have a serious thing for glitter and mod podge!!

These "sterling plated linkies" are made with 3 lengths of chain hooked together at each end by a large jump ring. My first thought is to use them in a bracelet design, one on top of the wrist and one underneath with bursts of beads at the connecting points.

However, I was also thinking you could "stack" them at different heights as the focal piece in a necklace. It might be interesting to weave colored cording throughout some of the chain and add one large focal pendant hanging from a 3rd cord.

I love all the cool ideas people have shared over the last week for using these Jill MacKay pieces...very creative!! Now I've gotta run and get my beads out!

Have a good one! (Check out this post for the free shipping info through 9/1/09)

Large Floral Dangle Pendant

I wanted to start the week off with one of the last two pieces I picked up from ConsumerCrafts.com.

When I was searching through the Jill MacKay Jewelry section, I was intrigued by this piece. It is a "49mm silver plated floral w/dangle pendant" and in the online catalog is shown in a completed necklace project.

Well, for some reason, my rebel crafter spirit kicked in and while I thought it was very pretty used with tanzanite crystals, I was wondering how I could incorporate it unexpectedly in a piece of jewelry.

Could it be used in a bracelet design? Could hemp cord be woven into a design through some of the holes? Could it be used in a necklace design as the foundation of some bead weaving?

I'm still contemplating, but hope to have something for next Saturday's post. I hope you are all having a great week so far. If you have any interesting ideas for this 49mm dangle pendant, please send them my way!! :)

Peace, Love & Bead Bloggers!

Do you know what makes Sunday special?! All of the wonderful creative expression and design possibilities posted on our fellow bead-bloggers' sites!

Please join me in checking out these blogs and hanging out in the creative blogosphere! Have a great week!!

Art Bead Scene
Art Bead Scene announces the August monthly challenge theme - a beautiful woodcut print.

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi explains how she made her glue gun leather brooch.

Cindy Gimbrone aka The Lampwork Diva
Looking to create a pendant from one of her antique button treasures, Cindy tries her hand at mold making.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie shares her new Shino glaze tests, and ponders about new work.

Jean Campbell
Jean helped deliver two babies this week: a new nephew and a new bracelet design

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
There are a couple of new bead and blog books on the shelves at Barnes & Noble! Lorelei's got the scoop!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
The BIG REVEAL is here! Check out Andrew's submission to the Use the Muse II contest!

About.com Jewelry Making Too Much Jewelry Business Success? Is it really possible? And if so, what do you do about it?

This Week's Project: Crystal & Chain Bracelet

This week's project is a bracelet using the Jill MacKay chain with flower focal and the 6mm indicolite bicones from ConsumerCrafts.com that I mentioned earlier in the week.

After a bit of trial and error, I am quite happy with it.

I LOVE the combination of silver and blue.

I experimented with paint and glitter and got a kick out of the final result, but when all was said and done, the simple combination of blue and silver won out!

This sort of reminds me of a tiara.

I hope you are all having a great, crafty weekend!! As always, please let me know what you think!!

Featured Designer: Blanche of Sha-Sha Handcrafted Jewelry

I love when all the planets align and coincidences or magic seem to abound...

I had one of those experiences recently when I came across a blog by Blanche of Sha-Sha Handcrafted Jewelry. I was blog-hopping by finding beading blogs that I liked and checking out followers and clicking on any that appeared to be jewelry related for the purpose of broadening my horizons.

I clicked on this blog post entitled, Coneflower and Bouquets of Flower Brooches, and absolutely LOVED this flower brooch. I usually fall for anything smiley-faced, flowered, animal-like or intricate crystal work. Imagine my surprise when I scrolled through the post and my name was mentioned. I had to read it several times to be sure and thought that was so cool.

You can get so wrapped up in a desire to absorb and learn as much as you can from other bloggers, you forget that it goes both ways. Even just mention of a particular bead can be inspiring to another beader. THAT is what is so cool about a creative and open arts and crafts online community. Such a wonderful spirit of camaraderie.

As you scroll down in Blanche's flower post, you will see a whole "garden" of super cool flowers. I also loved the fact that she showed her work so someone else could be inspired and have a general idea of where to start.

My thanks to Blanche for allowing me to post her work! If you have a chance, check out her "Use the Muse II" entry or take a look at her published designs on her website. Great stuff!

Hope you are all having a fun and crafty weekend!!

Indicolite Bicones and Jill MacKay Chain Pieces

I was thinking today's beads would look great together. I'd like use one of the chain pieces as a bracelet and add some jump rings to either side just to make sure it goes around the entire writst. I have never ordered indicolite crystals before and I'm so glad I did. What a great blue color!!

These came from ConsumerCrafts.com. The crystals are Swarovski and the chain pieces are from the Jill MacKay collection. So fun!!

It would be great fun to use some kind of paint or colors on the focal piece, I'm just not sure what type of paint or finish you could use on these sterling plated pieces.

So many possibilities with these!!

Sweet Little Bird Clasp

I couldn't resist this adorable little birdie clasp!! You have to admit the cuteness factor on this piece is pretty high!

As mentioned over the last couple of days, this weeks's beads are from ConsumerCrafts.com. The Jill MacKay collection is available through local craft stores, but I loved having the opportunity to look through all of the items at my leisure and the prices are right!

I've used this little bird clasp before on an arts and crafts jewelry project that involved crackle painted wooden rosettes. It was a perfect fit with a flower motiff and went well with pastel colors.

I'd like to use it on a bracelet with a number of blue crystals in different shades. I'm a huge fan of silver and blues, it's so bright and soothing at the same time.

I hope you are all having a great week!! P.S. Don't forget to take advantage of the free shipping through 9/1. Check here for details.

8 Loop Ring Form!

Oh my goodness, 8 loops! I thought this would be a lot of fun to play with because of all the loops and the brightness of the silver plating to me calls for lots of crystals!

Yes, you guessed it, this adjustable/beadable ring is a Jill MacKay product from ConsumerCrafts.com. I mentioned yesterday that I was pleased to discover these products online so I could take my time looking through all 9 pages!

I didn't realize until just now that the packaging for these products also includes "Inspiration from Jill". That's pretty cool! There is a photo of a finished design idea for this ring along with instructions and I've got to tell you, it is overflowing with crystals in a variety of colors!!

I was just thinking it would be fun to structure the crystals on the form to look like a fireworks explosion!!

Please let me know what you think!! If you are interested, check out yesterday's post for info regarding free shipping through 9/1/09.

Silver Flower Linky's from the Jill MacKay Collection

I'm so excited to show you my new haul of beads!!! I am very pleased to have found the Jill MacKay collection through an online vendor at ConsumerCrafts.com.

I have bought one or two items previously from Joann's, but sometimes it takes me a while to think things through and make decisions. These days the bead aisles at the craft store are a little bit crowded. I don't like to hang out too long if others are trying to look as well.

I have been very intrigued by Jill MacKay because she strikes me as one of "us", a beader/crafter who has followed her passion which led her to a mainstreamed line of beading products. Isn't that AWESOME!? It was so great to peruse her products from my comfy spot on the sofa!

So, I'm sure you probably realize that means it's going to be a week long extravaganza of products so we can appreciate each and every one!

Today's bead is the 15mm flower linky!! How adorable is this? I want to link them all together in some way with additional beads, but I'd really like these to be the focal piece because they are so sweet looking!!

By the way, through 9/01/09, shipping is free on the ConsumerCrafts.com website if you use this promotional code: MY2WFGX

Stay tuned for more Jill MacKay pieces!! :)

Peace, Love & Bead Bloggers!

Well, it's that time of week again to check in on our fellow bead bloggers. I can't wait to see what they have all been up to over the last few days.

I hope you will join me in taking a quick trip through all their sites. I love the diversity in beading, crafting and blogging. It's great reassurance that there is always room for everyone to express their unique perspective without taking away from anyone else!

Have a great week!! :)

Katie's Beading Blog
Check out Katie's upcoming workshops!

About.com Jewelry Making:
Is the under 20 crowd crafting more or less these days? Take the quick poll & see the results of what other crafters are thinking about this issue.

Barbe Saint John - New Treasures from Forgotten Artifacts Join in the fun of the Objects & Elements Reader Challenge!

Art Bead Scene
Looking for some new earring ideas? The Art Bead Scene reviews 101 Wire Earrings.

Carmi's Art/Life World
A little Friendly Plastic, a charm and resin makes for an amazing pendant.

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva
Summer heat getting to you? Cindy has a wrist full of Frost Links in Pear to keep her cool.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie happens upon a new line of supplies that blend perfectly with her steampunk designs as well as her new resin collage pendants.

Strands of Beads
Melissa creates a simple but stunning necklace with goodies from Rings & Things

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew reveals ten new jewelry designs.

Jean Campbell
Jean whips up a pair of funky Steampunky earrings; you can make them, too!

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
Lorelei shares some links to another really cool blog beading challenge.

Beading Arts
Beautiful Swarovski components from ArtBeads.com inspired Cyndi...right over the moon!

This Week's Project: Crystal Volcano Bracelet

This week's project is one that I had started several weeks ago, but put it aside and moved on to other things.

I had already attached two double strands of black beading wire to one side, so it was just a matter of adding beads, but WHICH beads and in what combination?

That's what was holding me back. I kept changing my mind!! I finally sorted through some Swarovski crystal beads in my collection, made a pile of them and started stringing them on without looking back!!

I love the outcome and have it on now. I really love these color combinations and you ought to see how sparkly this crystal volcano square ring from Artbeads.com is. These colors will go with just about anything! Dark blue, denim jeans, work suits, capris, ANYTHING!

I don't know about you, but the best pieces of jewelry I own are those that are very versatile.

I hope you are all having a great weekend!! :)

Question: Do People Macrame Any More? Answer: YES!

I recently posted a great spool of brown hemp cord for macrame jewelry making. One of my fellow beader/blogger friends, Dawno, asked "do people macrame any more?"

Rather than just make a quick answer, I wanted to share a few of my favorite macrame designers with you that will answer that question.

Cathie Milligan's "Mod Knots" is a great looking book with wonderful projects for all skill levels. The cover project is just fabulous!! What a great design!

Micro Macrame is another type of beadwork that involves using thin cording and lots of bead varieties. Annika deGroot's book, Micro Macrame, has an unbelievable array of projects that are fabulous! These designs are intricate and colorful.

The Knotshop is another great site featuring unique macrame jewelry items. This designer's etsy site includes a number of great macrame pieces.

Another unique macrame designer I have had the privilege of "meeting" is Macrame Maja. She is a Swedish macrame designer and her work is amazing!! I hope you will take a minute to check out her Etsy site.

I hope you have all found this helpful! The more I look at each of these unique designer's work, the more I want to try to create my own unique style using hemp cord and beads!

Thanks to all these wonderful designers!! Your work is GREAT!

Fancy Glittery Pendant

I received today's bead a few days ago from my Dad, a fellow beading enthusiast. While it is always nice to receive gifts, it's even more fun to receive jewelry making pieces from other beaders. It gives you a completely different perspective.

I've never had a glass pendant like this before to work with or wear. I am very taken by the glittery gold swirls inside and I bet it was a lot of fun to make!!

This is such a great art bead, it wouldn't require much extra glitter to set it off. In fact, it would be perfect hanging from a black cord of some kind. However, loading up a couple strands with black and sparkly gold beads would be gorgeous too!

I might have to try it both ways before deciding!

Gorgeous Brown Hemp Cord

This brown hemp cord is such a gorgeous color, I couldn't resist it! It brought to mind a bead I have and love, but have never used.

This wooden flower bead has been in my collection for at least a year and would be a great focal bead in a jewelry piece made with this gorgeous brown hemp cord.

I also came across this cool bronze bead mix that would be a lot of fun to use randomly in a design using this hemp cord. It is such thin cording that it might work in a crochet piece.

Once I started looking through beads that have been posted here previously, I came across quite a few that would be great and would each create a very different and unique piece of jewelry.

Some pieces could be very informal with lots of dangles while others could be very structured with tight knots throughout.

So many possibilities, so little time!!

Let me know what you think!! Have a great evening!

Wow, What a Button!

Wow, is this a great button or what?!! Answer: Yes, this is a great button!! :)

If you don't normally seek out buttons for jewelry making, you might want to give it a try the next time you experience designer's block. It's great for charging up your creative batteries!

I found this particular button during my last Walmart visit over the weekend. We don't get there often, so I like to check out the sewing and craft aisles.

This is a 38mm "washable and dry cleanable" button made in France and distributed by the Blumenthal Lansing Company in Lansing, Iowa. (http://www.blumenthallansing.com/).

I was immediately drawn to the color, but from a distance thought it was a matte blue button. Upon closer inspection I discovered the sparkles imbedded within.

I'd like to use the same concept that I used recently to create the Swarovski button rings and make this into a fun, over the top, bracelet.

I have finally sorted all my crystals into one location so I'm excited to start digging through everything to find some interesting shapes to attach to the top of this button to form a sculptural focal piece. I would love to try end up with an abstract art inspired piece!

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences using buttons in jewelry designs!!

Yellow Swirly Goodness!

Today's sweet and fun swirly bead was temporarily strung along with yesterday's adorable glass flower bead. In response to a question on yesterday's post, these beads came from Walmart. The package indicates this is a product by the Cousin Corporation of America. There are 6 flower beads and 6 swirly beads on the strand.

I am looking forward to making these beads into a necklace because I think the yellowy fun along with the summery flower will result in a very cool, laid back necklace.

I'm pretty sure there will also be crystals and possibly even 1 or 2 interesting or unique odd beads just for fun. I have discovered if I'm not having fun, there's no point in doing it!!

We've still got a couple of good summer months left, so it's time to create some mid-summer jewelry.

I also wanted to mention there is a winner for last Wednesday's bead giveaway post!! Yay! I am thrilled to send beads to "Liquidblackout" from Canada!! Once I get her bundle of beads shipped out, I'll post the final package of treats here too just for fun! Thanks to everyone who stopped by and "played"!!

I hope your week has gotten off to a good start!!

Beads Love Me!

Today's bead is an adorable clear glass flower with a yellow center that reminded me of a daisy. (Beads love me, beads love me not...)

This is going to be a perfect bead for a summer necklace. Normally I would want to make bracelets, but I can easily imagine a necklace full of these flowers framing the face with their sweet, cheerful demeanor.

I can't wait to show you the other yellow swirl bead that was temporarily strung along with this bead.....tomorrow!

I just need to give a little more thought to the necklace style and other beads to pair with these and add to the happy vibe!!

Have a great week!!

Peace, Love & Bead Bloggers!

I hope you are all having a great weekend and doing lots of beading or crafting!! I love using the weekend to peruse all the bead and jewelry blogs for inspiration!

There sure has been a lot going on over the last week. Just looking through all the blogs of these fellow beaders makes me want to break out all my beads. I was so excited to see the Art Bead Scene blog post about making your own bezel! I just mentioned recently I wish I knew how to do that! I'm heading over there now to broaden my horizons!! :)

About.com Jewelry Making
Tammy's going bananas over bamboo beads!

Art Bead Scene
Learn how to make your own bezel with Art Bead Scene!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
With Swarovski crystals from Artbeads.com, Andrew creates a wire-wrapped dangle bracelet inspired by a fuzzy caterpillar.

Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi places some vintage lace/tatting between glass for this lovely pendant idea.

Cindy Gimbrone
Want to add charm to your jewelry? Cindy Gimbrone shows you how to make glass nugget charms.

Jean Campbell
Jean gives the inside scoop on Rachel Nelson-Smith's upcoming book, Seed Bead Fusion.

Beading Arts
Fishing is a fun summertime activity, but even more fun when it results in something to wear!

Strands of Beads
Melissa discusses her experiences with metal clay safety issues.

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
Lorelei is helping to promote Cynthia Thornton's new book release by offering the 1st of 8 giveaways!